APVMA fail

Federal shadow for agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon has called out the Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce over the floundering performance of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

“True to form, Barnaby Joyce released the latest quarterly performance report for the APVMA late on Friday afternoon,” Fitzgibbon said.“The APVMA’s capacity to do its vital work has been in freefall since Barnaby Joyce announced his forced relocation of the Authority from Canberra to Armidale in his own electorate.“Farmers, veterinarians and all users of products which require APVMA approval are the losers. Human health is also being put at risk.“In a week where the word 'bizarrely' describes the normal, the temporary CEO announced a review to determine why the APVMA is doing so badly. “This is an insult to the few regulatory scientists and lawyers who haven’t yet flown the coop.“The situation is untenable. We have Joyce continuing to put his own political interests ahead of the national interest, yet the Prime Minister does nothing.“I remind the Prime Minister that he told us he was a 'strong leader'. Strong words must be followed by strong actions.”